West Alabama High School basketball programs kept busy during the winter break by attending a variety of holiday tournaments.
The events gave teams a chance to compete against opponents they wouldn't see otherwise and allowed smaller classifications to play larger programs.
“I like playing tough competition such as Tuscaloosa County to prepare us for up and coming area play,” Class 4A Greensboro coach Barry Williams said after his runner-up finish to Class 7A TCHS in the Wildcat Classic championship game on Wednesday night.
The Hillcrest girls team competed in the BallNPrep Invitational at Thompson last week. Patriots coach Steven Sims said two of the teams he faced in the 2016 BallNPrep advanced to the Final Four, including Class 5A Charles Henderson and Southwest Dekalb, Georgia. Hillcrest also made its first Final Four appearance in two decades.
“For us it was playing competition we normally wouldn't see,” Sims said. “We were able to play a team out of Duluth, Georgia that had a 6-3 player and good guards, so it’s about getting to play teams you normally wouldn’t get to play where you are.”
Holiday tournaments also serve as a measuring stick to gauge where teams are halfway through the season. It’s a time to refocus and evaluate before returning to area competition and the impending postseason.
“Every year I think there is good competition to kind of see exactly where your team is going to be,” Sipsey Valley coach Adrian Scott said at Brookwood’s D.J. White Holiday Tournament on Dec. 27.
The Sumter Central boys team traveled to Fort Walton Beach, Fla., to compete in the Northwest Florida Shootout against ranked programs from several states. Coach Jazmin Mitchell said the trip prepared the Jaguars for area and region play and tested them against highly-recruited, out of state opponents.
Beyond the level of competition, many programs utilize holiday tournaments as an opportunity for team bonding. For the past six years, the American Christian Academy boys have competed in the Albertville Civitans Christmas Classic, and turned the experience into a team retreat.
The Patriots stay in a rental house at Lake Guntersville. In addition to the tournament, which featured two contests against state-ranked opponents this year, they build camaraderie by taking part in activities such as watching game film and movies or playing cards and video games.
“It helps the togetherness of the team,” ACA coach Greg Crowe said. “They know each other and go to school together, but it’s a really good opportunity -- for the coaches too -- to get to know one another in a different setting besides basketball.”
Reach Joey Chandler at joey.chandler@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0223.